“Only if he’s good enough,” Trump said. “If he was good enough, they’d hire him. Why wouldn’t he play if he was good enough? I think if he’s good enough, I know the owners – I know (Patriots owner Robert) Kraft, I know so many of the owners — if he’s good enough, they’d sign him. I know these people. They would sign him in a heartbeat. They would do anything they can to win games. So I’d like to see it.

"Frankly, I’d love to see Kaepernick come in, if he’s good enough. But I don’t want to see him come in because somebody thinks it’s a good PR move. If he’s good enough, he would be in.”

Reporter: Should Colin Kaepernick get an opportunity to play in the NFL?

Trump: “Only If he’s good enough. I know the owners, I know Bob Kraft. They will do anything they can to win games” pic.twitter.com/tTZHyL6oCH

Kaepernick, 31, last played in the NFL in 2016, when his protests of racial inequality in America started a movement among players, drawing crticism from Trump and many of his supporters. Earlier this year, Kaepernick settled a lawsuit with the NFL in which he and Eric Reid accused owners of colluding to keep them out of the league because of their leading roles in the protests.

Reid now plays for the Panthers.

Kaepernick has 72 career touchdown passes along with 13 touchdowns on the ground. His 88.9 quarterback rating ranks 18th all-time among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts.